Welcome to Black Perspective and Introspection; One of the best places in the Blogsphere to find insight from a Black perspective not beholden to White America.

August 25, 2004

The Buick Salesman who only drives Fords.

The Buick Salesman who only drives Fords.

How would you feel if you went to a Buick dealer and the salesman was touting the performance and dependability of Buicks, yet, you come to find that the salesman’s chooses to buy Fords because of personal preference? If you are on the ball you will see the discrepancy as a reason for pause. You might, or should, wonder why this person is selling Buicks and not Fords. You are left with an impression of disingenuousness and will not likely buy what the person is trying to sell…I would think.

Analogous to this people proclaiming to be concerned about black uplift, while at the same time involved in interracial relationships. It is hard to see a black person exposing the promotion or needs of black people, while at the same time engaged in a mating relationship with another race, as being the real deal. I am not suggesting that one cannot be truly committed to Black uplift while dating outside the race. I think that Paul Robeson and Frederick Douglass are good examples to contradict such a notion. However, you cannot deny the conflicting imagery of a black person championing the value or needs of black people, yet not able to find a black mate worthy of their love and commitment.

I am not a person against such relationships, let me state that unequivocally. It is simply not my choice to engage in such behavior while there is the option of black females in abundance. If I were in an area where there were no black women, my biological needs as a man would obviously become the controlling factor in my decision, because the choice would be to either be with or without a woman, and I will not choose the latter. However, it’s highly unlikely that I would place myself in such a predicament given the value of women in my life in general and the value of the black women in my life in particular.

Ones choices are an indication of their value judgment upon the relative worth given to the array of options available to choose from, providing the chooser has what it takes to acquire it. Ones choices can be seen as a yes vote for a particular thing and a no vote for the other things that were not chosen. Consequently, when black people make the choice to date outside their race, when the option to date inside their race is available, it interpreted as a no vote for what black women or men have to offer them. This assertion is based upon the assumption of monogamy and not people holding simultaneous relationships.

It is true, however, that the votes are offsetting in that in a black white relationship one is cast a vote for black and the other is casting a vote for white, with each casting the vote for the opposite of who they are. That having been said, the future of black people is more dependant upon blacks voting for each other than other choosing to vote for us. This is true, if and only if, self determination and affirmation is of value to black people. It is true that discrimination by the larger society has resulted in a negative vote being caste against us, resulting in social and economic hardships. But, we have reached the point diminishing returns in the changing of attitude and behavior of whites. Thus, our collective gains henceforth will come only from the promotion of ourselves.

I believe that there is no higher inspirational and motivation imagery, for black people, than to see other successful black people loving and affirming black people. The image of a successful black man, such as Denzel Washington, in a loving and committed relationship with a black woman that has produced a strong nuclear family, is unmatchable in regards to the power of example. For a brother who can have his choice of women, to choose black women…is a vote for black women. It is a statement that screams I have found the facilitation of my interest and needs in a black women, whom I chose from the array of all women. For a successful black man to not choose a black woman is a statement of the opposite. It says that such an individual could not find a black woman to meet his criteria. Such is tantamount to the company that says it just cannot find any qualified black people to do certain jobs, when we all know that they exist if you really want to find them.

It is not only making the choices of intimate relationships between the opposite sexes. It also manifest in acceptance and promotion of ideology that are accepted as being detrimental for black interest by the vast majority of black people. It is hard to sell yourself, credibly, as a person interest in black uplift, while exposing a social conservative ideology, an ideology adopted by most admitted and practicing anti-black racist. Such is akin to a Minister who preaches the word of God, choosing to vote for legislation that makes living harder for the homeless, by restricting them from public places. That would be the selling of Godliness, while being a doer of the devils work. In the same way, one cannot sell ideology that is harmful to the black masses, while at the same time saying that they are for the black masses. Of, course, such individuals rationalize that they know what’s better for black people, than the 90% of other black folk that disagree.

If one really wants to maximize the promotion of the buying of what they are selling, then they must also be a loyal customer of the product as well. It sends a mixed message when one tries to convince others to do something that they themselves make the choice not to do. It is not what you sell that determines your loyalties; rather, it is what you choose to buy for yourself.